Guild Wars 2

I’m still getting used to the mode myself, but one big thing that bugged me was when our lord was down. I dropped a Shadow Refuge on him while he was getting stomped and either he kept attacking or didn’t gain stealth, as the stomp still went through losing us the game.

1. It is the middle of a workday in NA also long queue has nothing to do with stronghold, did you think strong hold was going to magically increase the PvP Pop?
2. duh
3. It is beta, that is what beta are designed for.

Can’t que cus #esport. Oh well..tomorrow is a day too!

Yep, no option to queue.

Just a though – maybe post your no queue bug in the Bug forums – so they can be sorted out??

Currently Stronghold is So So – only because new plays do not know how to play the mode. Early days, honestly 1 day beta seems a little too short to find problems.

Fun to have a new map.. But not that exiting of a map.. Way to much Hype!!
Nice try do.. :/

silvermember.8941:

1. It is the middle of a workday in NA also long queue has nothing to do with stronghold, did you think strong hold was going to magically increase the PvP Pop?
2. duh
3. It is beta, that is what beta are designed for.

1. I’m on EU and there should be the most people online right now. Still 7-12 minute queues (and the time is still going up) … (at least the Beta should have brought back a few people (it brought at least me)). But seeing this I’m leaving again, I have no intention to wait longer than I play.
3. But it is a polished beta close to be finished. They already showed it at pax and I’m sure the product we get won’t differ much or at all from what we see now.

Dwaynas Avatar.1562:

silvermember.8941:

1. It is the middle of a workday in NA also long queue has nothing to do with stronghold, did you think strong hold was going to magically increase the PvP Pop?
2. duh
3. It is beta, that is what beta are designed for.

1. I’m on EU and there should be the most people online right now. Still 7-12 minute queues (and the time is still going up) … (at least the Beta should have brought back a few people (it brought at least me)). But seeing this I’m leaving again, I have no intention to wait longer than I play.
3. But it is a polished beta close to be finished. They already showed it at pax and I’m sure the product we get won’t differ much or at all from what we see now.

Newsflash, people can’t queue.

Yea there’s high queue times that’s for sure. Wonder if that’s because there’s a bigger pool of players. So it’s literally looking at every single player to see what the best matchmaking would be?
Idk could be.

I thought we was supposed to have a Stronghold open beta and not PvP Queue Stress Test today.

I’m missing something ?

Laraley.7695:

Newsflash, people can’t queue.

I noticed like you may could see in my original post on the top of this page. But back then there where still too long queue times …

Luna.9640:

I thought we was supposed to have a Stronghold open beta and not PvP Queue Stress Test today.

I’m missing something ?

Couldn’t have said it better

My absolute first impression of this map is that it doesn’t explain itself well enough. I had read about it before, but didn’t really remember much, and the summary it always pops up at the beginning didn’t do a lot to help. To a player new to the map, the icons mean nothing, so talking about the Barracks don’t help much, because I have no idea where these things are. The Supply is bad because I don’t even remember it having an icon, and when I went there during the Waiting for Players phase, I still didn’t notice anything right away.

So right off the bat, my two suggestions are:
1) Make the icons more evocative.
2) Give the Supply an icon, and put some lights near the Supply in-world or something.

Otherwise, my experience in the map was as miserable as usual. Gigantic skill gap meaning we couldn’t get near any objective without being swarmed by the entire enemy team who would destroy us in seconds.

Dwaynas Avatar.1562:

Laraley.7695:

Newsflash, people can’t queue.

I noticed like you may could see in my original post on the top of this page. But back then there where still too long queue times …

I get that but if you know most people can’t queue, why complain about queue time? It’s irrelevant.

wow can’t queue at all now, it’s greyed out.
Any1 else?

Dwaynas Avatar.1562:

wow can’t queue at all now, it’s greyed out.
Any1 else?

Please, read the thread. Yes, people cannot enter queue. Yes, they’re working on it.

Laraley.7695:

I get that but if you know most people can’t queue, why complain about queue time? It’s irrelevant.

Because it was already that bad when people had no issues. Also it’s the reason I quit this game each time.

Dwaynas Avatar.1562:

Laraley.7695:

I get that but if you know most people can’t queue, why complain about queue time? It’s irrelevant.

Because it was already that bad when people had no issues. Also it’s the reason I quit this game each time.

That’s not true. People had issues since the beginning of the beta.

My first impression after 5 games…….LoL but worse.

i can queue, queue time was short, less than a minute.

but it seems like certain cancer builds still prevail.

Laraley.7695:

That’s not true. People had issues since the beginning of the beta.

I don’t want to argue with you about when people started having queue problems.
Even without the problems it seems not enough players are there for good queue times (I thought maybe the beta changes that). This sucks, but I can’t help it, just wanted to mention this, because I think anet want’s to know why people are leaving. For me it’s the queue times.

Stronghold is great. Much funner than Conquest once you know what you’re doing.
Love using Aoe heals and Stealth on my skritt.
being able to see enemy NPCs makes defending very active. Feels great stopping a wave of 4 skritt. The minimap offers a lot of information and I like how powerful these NPCs can be when left unattended.
its really fun once you’re with people who start dedicating themselves to certain roles (like supply runners)
so far from my experience it seems like the people that don’t enjoy it are people who simply don’t know how the gametype works yet. (do things like attack gates and wonder why they’re not damaging them)

can’t wait to see how intense games can get once everyone is familiar with the gametype. So far i really am enjoying it

My queue times have been less than 2 minutes.

As for the map, I feel it relies too much on npcs. I want pvp not pve.

I’ve played 4 games so far, and i’m actually enjoying it.

People are still learning what to do, so the games aren’t as good, but give it time, and it will definitely be a favorite amongst the players. There’s all types of strats that can be used in it.

This is going to be a PvE win traders dream.

You can win in under 2 minutes if the other team doesnt defend. Can’t wait to see that on live.

Dwaynas Avatar.1562:

Laraley.7695:

That’s not true. People had issues since the beginning of the beta.

I don’t want to argue with you about when people started having queue problems.
Even without the problems it seems not enough players are there for good queue times (I thought maybe the beta changes that). This sucks, but I can’t help it, just wanted to mention this, because I think anet want’s to know why people are leaving. For me it’s the queue times.

You’re right, no point arguing with someone who complains about queue times when people can barely queue.

(FYI, queue time on NA was less than 2 minutes.)

Seems you just defend for 15 min and win

After a few games… pretty angry that this is the game mode they chose to add over arenas! If I want to slay NPCs, I would play PvE!

Also half my attacks are obstructed when the guy is right in front of me! RIP!

Wahoo! Bye frands!

Lexiceta.4156:

Seems you just defend for 15 min and win

So far the past 3 of my games has been finished by a lord stomp o_o

ArrDee.2573:

After a few games… pretty angry that this is the game mode they chose to add over arenas! If I want to slay NPCs, I would play PvE!

Also half my attacks are obstructed when the guy is right in front of me! RIP!

Wahoo! Bye frands!

I actually feel is just as pvp intensive as conquest. Our main goal is killing enemy guards which is ez and doesn’t take long. The rest is finished by rats.

There’s actually a lot of PvP, offense, defense and supplies. The game doesn’t feel like it’s filled with NPC’s at all. At least not for me, but then again i’m very much a pvp player so that’s what I’m after in the gamemode.

Wahoo bai

I actually prefer this over conquest already. Even in its current state I find it funner already.

also, saying things like“if I wanted to kill NPCs I would play PvE” is a poor argument against stronghold. That’s like attempting to criticize Conquest by saying “if I wanted to capture points I would play WvW!”. They’re Objectives, and Player vs Player is just as strong in both.
The objective in stronghold turned from defending a point from someone or capturing a point from someone, to defending NPCs from someone, or Killing NPCs someone is trying to escort. The player Engangement is still there, and giving the reliance on these NPCs and the increased movement, I say its even more engaging than conquest.

I’m already liking this over conquest there is so much more to do

Saiyan.1704:

Lexiceta.4156:

Seems you just defend for 15 min and win

So far the past 3 of my games has been finished by a lord stomp o_o

I’ve played only two games but both went to timer, I really think they should make the timer longer than 15 minutes. There’s just so much to do and since it’s 5v5, the map is not used to its full potential.

So just played some games on my NA account and have to say its okayish, im not sold to this game mode. The strong focus on NPC’s isnt really to my liking, you have to kill quite a few to get to the enemy lord, where even more NPC’s is waiting for you.
One thing i noted was that Engi turrets can be placed on top of the gates, which is really frustrating to play against as a melee character.

Opposite for me. Most fun I’ve had PVPing since I’ve started. Would still love 2v2/3v3 but this is way better than conquest.

glock.6590:

Stronghole is the worst PvP experience I ever had. I’m definitly not buying the expansion. I’m glad they at least showed us what it looks like instead of just taking the money of the customers.

Good luck playing the game without the specializations.

Laraley.7695:

glock.6590:

Stronghole is the worst PvP experience I ever had. I’m definitly not buying the expansion. I’m glad they at least showed us what it looks like instead of just taking the money of the customers.

Good luck playing the game without the specializations.

I never said Ill keep playing the game lol. If stronghole is supposed to be fun then arenanet failed miserably.

They even deleted my negative comment lmao. Anet pls.

I liked it better than conquest, but I’m biased as being much more into WvW than PvP in general. I enjoyed this because it felt like small scale WvW. I don’t know the maps well enough yet, which was frustrating, but expected. I enjoyed a using a treb that was actualy usueful in the pvp scenario.

Overall, I like there being a variety of possible strategies and roles for players. In some matches people focused on winning points and getting the lord. In others, a lot more melee over the supply. I like the variety, though I supposed eventually there’ll be a new meta and everyone will just do that!

Deimos Tel Arin.7391:

i can queue, queue time was short, less than a minute.

but it seems like certain cancer builds still prevail.

Did you expect people coming out with stronghold specific builds in the 1st hour it was released?

Not to mention most people can’t think for themselves anyway and netdeck streamers.

This game mode seems boring to me. To much about running supply to get some boring npc’s to do the work. So lame.
I’ll rather have pure pvp mode, without siege and npc’s.

The mini map is too small. We need to be able to zoom in.

Yeah have to say a bit disappointed, as my two biggest fears were present. One being that the mode is pretty snowball, in the games I played it was very difficult for the opposing team to come back as long as you had an active defence. Another problem is the amount of focus on killing mobs, with killing players being so far secondary. Technically you could win without killing a single player.

Other issue is Bodyguard too easy to nuke down when all he does is run, even with players covering. Maybe needs a bit more damage resistance or something until he actually reaches a gate. Although I suppose the flipside is that it almost forces the stacking of stealth on them.

The minimap needs the sea/desert removed (the fluff). Make it more like the LoL minimap. Regardless of zooming/stretching the minimap, about half of it is nothing. It can help the players and also the viewers.

A few thoughts :

1) It would be nice to have a quick way home when you want one (either a channel power or a point you can channel to get back to spawn)

2) I don’t see a ton of potential for come from behind victories. Getting both heroes is probably the only way to score a comeback. Respawn timers are too short for a team wipe to matter very much. This is a big deal, IMO, because matches getting out of hand will drive people away.

3) Rewards should be based around a full 15 minute match (stronghold should award about 33-50% more gold, track, and rank progress than conquest).

4) Coming from some Mobas, I was constantly clicking on the map expecting to see what was happening there… duh, that doesn’t work. It would be nice to get some 1-button methods of communicating with the team beyond just pings.

Overall, I am not sure what I think. Definitely an interesting game mode. I think I will come to enjoy it, but I am not sure I felt “fun”. I think its because channels are just frustrating and the gamemode relies on them too much. On occasion I accidentally broke a channel to early (thinking i had finished), other players would snipe the end of the channel, wasting both my health and my effort, and I just feel helpless during them. This is unlike capture points where all players are active, progress for capture isn’t all or nothing.

IMO, if you are looking for inspiration to make the mode more fun, look at the Toypocalypse activity for inspiration. Also, for spawning heroes, I recommend looking at Heroes of the Storm’s spawn mechanics.

I don;t want to read every thought just yet… sorry I am at work and haven’t much time but does anyone know whether or not Stronghold will be able to be a 10v10 in custom arenas? Or will it always be limited to 5. it seems perfect for a split squad map.

And it would be ideal to have the heroes/lord be on the party UI when in range or something.

NPCs just make whole “PvP” map kinda weird. Player vs Player, not a moba. So… why?

sendmark.4731:

Yeah have to say a bit disappointed, as my two biggest fears were present. One being that the mode is pretty snowball, in the games I played it was very difficult for the opposing team to come back as long as you had an active defence. Another problem is the amount of focus on killing mobs, with killing players being so far secondary. Technically you could win without killing a single player.

Other issue is Bodyguard too easy to nuke down when all he does is run, even with players covering. Maybe needs a bit more damage resistance or something until he actually reaches a gate. Although I suppose the flipside is that it almost forces the stacking of stealth on them.

If it helps to know, I won a game where we had no door broke and they were half broke with our 2nd, we defended when they busted in and still won on attrition.

Having played a couple of matches, my initial comments:

1. COMMUNICATION – Communication is key for people to know where to be, especially given all the myriad of objectives (heroes, treb, attack, defense, supply). Timing strong pushes or defenses are going to be key to winning, which requires some form of communication to set up. Unfortunately for people playing casually, typing into team-chat just takes too long. There needs to be a faster way to call for help, or ask people to form up for a push, or get home/to a hero.

2. Hero placement – heroes very much seem like there is a “home” hero for each side. In my experience each team just goes for their own hero and it develops into a 4v2 on each side. Needing to use an interrupt skill in such a short time prevents skillful players from kiting around and harming another team for zerging up.

The main issue I’ve found so far is that there are so many fundamental objectives for 5 players, the team ends up splitting 1-2 players to each task, and never moving from that role. I’ve spent 15 minutes killing archers and skritt, or 15 minutes running supplies. There is very little chance to do multiple things because objectives have to be mindless focused on. Remove npcs/ lessen their impact and it might be more fun.

I like it a lot, more than conquest from my initial impressions (also coming from a mainly WvW player). Also agree that the minimap could use some work, it was a bit hard to see what was going on on it. I also for the life of me couldn’t figure out where in the UI it shows how much supply you have. But so far, the game mode seems very promising.

FalconBeta.9185:

The objective in stronghold turned from defending a point from someone or capturing a point from someone, to defending NPCs from someone, or Killing NPCs someone is trying to escort. The player Engangement is still there, and giving the reliance on these NPCs and the increased movement, I say its even more engaging than conquest.

I would like the objective for PvP to be PvP and not PvE or standing on point but maybe it’s just me!

Wahoo! Bye frands!